1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of vehicles"" engines, and more specifically, the present invention is directed to servicing engines.
2. Background
Engine manufacturers highly recommend that engine cooling systems be serviced every 15,000 to 30,000 miles. Lack of proper service can cause engine problems due to the fact that old coolant in the vehicle""s radiator system may no longer protect against rust or acids that can lead to a breakdown of the metal and aluminum parts in the engine. Periodic service intervals are recommended to protect the engine against overheating that can be caused by a breakdown of the coolant""s protective properties.
To this end, automobile service stations utilize various systems and methods to replace old coolant in the radiator system with new coolant in accordance with the manufacturers"" recommendation. Conventional systems, however, suffer from many problems. To mention a few, conventional systems cause coolant drainage and are environmentally hazardous. To prevent coolant drainage, service operators must place a pan under the vehicle to avoid coolant spill. Moreover, the radiator pressure cannot be released prior to removing the radiator cap which can place service operators in danger.
Furthermore, conventional systems require constant operator attention. For example, at the end of the coolant exchange, the operation must end immediately, otherwise the vehicle""s coolant continues to be drained, and as a result, the vehicle""s engine can overheat and be damaged. Even more, at the completion of the coolant exchange, the conventional systems require the operator to add more coolant manually in order to adjust the level of coolant in the radiator system. To that end, the operator must either prepare a mixture of coolant and water, or prior to starting the coolant exchange process, save some in a separate container. At the end of the coolant exchange, the additional coolant must either be deposited in the service system tank or be added to the radiator system by the operator. Indeed, such methods are extremely labor intensive, unsafe and time consuming.
Also, the operator of a conventional system must carefully monitor the amount of new coolant entering a vehicle""s radiator system and the amount of used coolant flowing out of the vehicle""s radiator system during the coolant exchange operation to avoid coolant spillage that could result from an unbalanced coolant flow. For example, if the amount of coolant flowing into a conventional system exceeds the amount of coolant that the conventional system can handle, the excess coolant could spill, resulting in a hazardous mess that requires time consuming clean up.
As another example of the shortcomings, in the existing systems, fluid flow control is achieved via a pressure switch that turns off the fluid flow completely when the system pressure reaches a predetermined level by stopping the system and/or engine and then restarting the system and/or engine when the system pressure falls below a second level. The on-to-off transitions are greatly harmful to the service system and the vehicle""s engine.
In addition, servicing of different radiator systems may require service operators to utilize different types of coolant available from coolant manufacturers. However, the operator of a conventional system must first spend valuable service time required to drain existing coolant before adding a different coolant type to the conventional system""s coolant supply tank. Also, a the operator of the conventional system must spend additional service time to clean the coolant supply tank to avoid cross fluid contamination from the previous coolant type.
Accordingly, an intense need exists for apparatus and method for servicing engine cooling systems that can safely and efficiently solve the existing problems in the art.
Further disadvantages of the related art will become apparent to one skilled in the art through comparison of the drawings and specification which follow.
In accordance with the purpose of the present invention as broadly described herein, there is provided method and apparatus for servicing engine cooling systems.
In one exemplary aspect, an apparatus is provided for servicing a system having a used fluid, an inlet and an outlet. The apparatus comprises a first hose capable of being connected to the inlet, a second hose capable of being connected to the outlet, a first fluid tank including a first new fluid, a second fluid tank including a second new fluid, a pump and a selector. The selector selects one of the fluid tanks and the pump pumps the new fluid from the selected fluid tank into the system through the first hose and the inlet, and the second hose receives the used fluid via the outlet.
In a further exemplary aspect, the first fluid tank communicates with the pump via a first valve and the second fluid tank communicates with the pump via a second valve, and wherein the selector opens the first valve and closes the second valve, so that the pump pumps the first new fluid from the first fluid tank. In another exemplary aspect, the first fluid tank communicates with the pump via a first valve and the second fluid tank communicates with the pump via a second valve, and wherein the selector opens the second valve and closes the first valve, so that the pump pumps the second new fluid from the second fluid tank.
The apparatus may further comprise an output flow sensor coupled to the first hose, a return flow sensor coupled to the second hose, and a controller in communication with the output flow sensor for measuring an output rate of flow and in communication with the return flow sensor for measuring a return rate of flow, wherein the controller controls the pump based on the return rate of flow and the output rate of flow.
In some aspects, the apparatus may also comprise a purge pump capable of purging the used fluid and the new fluid in the first hose and the second hose. In addition, the apparatus may comprise a third fluid tank including a third new fluid, wherein the first new fluid is the same as the third new fluid.
Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent with further reference to the drawings and specification, which follow.